Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B26—HAND CUTTING TOOLS; CUTTING; SEVERING
  • B26B—HAND-HELD CUTTING TOOLS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B26B19/00—Clippers or shavers operating with a plurality of cutting edges, e.g. hair clippers, dry shavers
  • B26B19/38—Details of, or accessories for, hair clippers, or dry shavers, e.g. housings, casings, grips, guards
  • B26B19/3846—Blades; Cutters
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B26—HAND CUTTING TOOLS; CUTTING; SEVERING
  • B26B—HAND-HELD CUTTING TOOLS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B26B19/00—Clippers or shavers operating with a plurality of cutting edges, e.g. hair clippers, dry shavers
  • B26B19/38—Details of, or accessories for, hair clippers, or dry shavers, e.g. housings, casings, grips, guards
  • B26B19/3853—Housing or handle
  • B26B19/386—Means for attaching the head thereto
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B26—HAND CUTTING TOOLS; CUTTING; SEVERING
  • B26B—HAND-HELD CUTTING TOOLS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B26B19/00—Clippers or shavers operating with a plurality of cutting edges, e.g. hair clippers, dry shavers
  • B26B19/38—Details of, or accessories for, hair clippers, or dry shavers, e.g. housings, casings, grips, guards
  • B26B19/3873—Electric features; Charging; Computing devices
  • B26B19/388—Sensors; Control

Definitions

• the present invention relates generally to grooming appliances and, more particularly, to electric hair cutting or plucking appliances.
• Some conventional electric grooming appliances include a handle and a blade set attached to the handle.
• the blade set has a stationary blade and a movable blade arranged in sliding, face-to-face contact with the stationary blade.
• a hair cutting operation is performed by driving the movable blade back-and-forth relative to the stationary blade as the stationary blade is moved over the skin such that hair entering the stationary blade is cut.
• the movable blade is typically biased against the stationary blade to maintain the contact between the movable blade and the stationary blade.
• increasing the biasing force imparted to the movable blade has been known to improve cutting
• a grooming appliance generally comprises a handle and a grooming head disposed on the handle .
• the grooming head generates heat during
• the grooming appliance further comprises a cooling system disposed at least in part within the handle.
• the cooling system comprises a thermoelectric cooling device for removing heat from the grooming head during operation of the appliance.
• an electric hair grooming appliance generally comprises a handle, a motor housed within the handle, and a head disposed on the handle.
• the head comprises a blade set having a plurality of blades that cooperate to remove hair. At least one of the blades is operatively connected to the motor.
• the appliance further comprises a cooling system disposed at least in part within the handle.
• the cooling system comprises a thermoelectric cooling device for removing heat from the blade set during operation of the appliance.
• an electric hair grooming appliance generally comprises a handle, a motor housed within the handle, and a head detachably connected to the handle.
• the head comprises a blade set and a blade cartridge configured to support the blade set on the handle.
• the blade set includes a toothed stationary blade and a toothed movable blade arranged in sliding, face-to-face contact with the stationary blade.
• the blade cartridge comprises a blade frame to which the stationary blade is fastened, and a drive member on which the movable blade is seated.
• the drive member has a follower configured to drive the movable blade into oscillation when the appliance is operated.
• the blade cartridge further includes a biasing assembly configured to bias the movable blade and the drive member toward the stationary blade.
• the biasing assembly comprises a spring and a blade support seated on the spring for engaging the movable blade and guiding oscillation of the movable blade such that the movable blade, the drive member, and the biasing assembly are secured between the stationary blade and the blade frame.
• the appliance also comprises a cooling system including a heat sink and a Peltier device situated in conductive heat transfer with the heat sink and with at least one of the motor and the blade set such that the Peltier device is configured to transfer heat from the at least one of the motor and the blade set to the heat sink during operation of the appliance.
• Figure 1 is a perspective view of one
• Figure 2 is a side view of the appliance of Figure 1 with its head detached from its handle;
• Figure 3 is perspective view of the handle of Figure 2 ;
• Figure 4 is a perspective view of the head of Figure 2 ;
• Figure 5 is an exploded view of the head gure 4 ;
• Figure 6 is a bottom view of the head of Figure 4 ;
• Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the head of Figure 4 taken along plane 7-7 of Figure 6;
• Figure 8 is a schematic illustration of the appliance of Figure 1 having a cooling system for removing heat from the head of Figure 4;
• FIG. 9 is a schematic illustration of a thermoelectric cooling device of the cooling system of Figure 8.
• Figure 10 is a schematic illustration of various electrical, mechanical, and thermal pathways of a hair grooming appliance utilizing an embodiment of the cooling system of Figure 8.
• Figure 11 is a schematic illustration of a hair-removal appliance utilizing embodiments of the cooling system of Figure 8 and pathways similar to those illustrated in Figure 10.
• an electric hair grooming appliance according to one embodiment (namely, an electric trimmer embodiment) is indicated generally by the reference numeral 100. It is understood, however, that other suitable embodiments of hair grooming appliances (e.g., shavers, epilators, etc.) are also contemplated without departing from the scope of this invention.
• the illustrated appliance 100 comprises a handle, generally indicated at 102, and a head, generally indicated at 104, detachably connected to the handle 102.
• the handle 102 has a longitudinal axis 106, and houses circuitry (e.g., a control unit such as a microprocessor, memory, and associated wiring) for controlling the various functions of the appliance 100.
• circuitry e.g., a control unit such as a microprocessor, memory, and associated wiring
• a user interface e.g., a power switch
• a power connector e.g., a cord 108
• embodiments may house any suitable operating components of the appliance 100 (e.g., a battery such that the appliance 100 is configured for corded and/or cordless operation) , and the head 104 in some embodiments may not be detachable from the handle 102.
• a battery such that the appliance 100 is configured for corded and/or cordless operation
• the head 104 in some embodiments may not be detachable from the handle 102.
• the handle 102 includes a head attachment structure, namely a neck 110 that receives the head 104 for attaching the head 104 to the handle 102.
• the neck 110 has a pair of opposing side walls 112 that protrude from a base 114 to at least partially surround a pocket 116 into which the head 104 is inserted, and each side wall 112 has a ledge 118 that interfaces with the head 104 upon attachment of the head 104 to the handle 102. In this manner, each side wall 112 forms a channel 120 between the base 114 and the respective ledge 118.
• the neck 110 also includes a spring- loaded (or otherwise resilient) detent 122 that extends through the base 114 within a respective one of the channels 120 so as to be disposed beneath one of the ledges 118.
• the neck 110 is configured to support the head 104 on the handle 102 such that the head 104 is detachable from the handle 102 at an oblique angle relative to the longitudinal axis 106 of the handle 102.
• the head 104 may be manually ejected from the handle 102 using thumb-engageable push-panel 124 (shown in Fig. 4) of the head 104.
• the handle 102 may be provided with a thumb-actuated button for
• the handle 102 may have any suitable structure for attachment/detachment of the head 104 relative to the handle 102 in any suitable manner that facilitates enabling the appliance 100 to function as described herein.
• a drive mechanism 126 protrudes from within the handle 102 into the pocket 116 through the base 114.
• the drive mechanism 126 is configured for operative connection of the head 104 to the motor within the handle 102.
• the illustrated drive mechanism 126 is configured to facilitate attachment and detachment of the head 104 relative to the handle 102 at an oblique angle.
• the drive mechanism 126 may be configured in any suitable manner that enables the appliance 100 to function as described herein.
• the head 104 suitably comprises a blade set 128 and a blade cartridge 130 by which the blade set 128 is supported on the handle 102.
• the blade cartridge 130 includes a blade frame 132, a biasing assembly (indicated generally by reference numeral 134), and a drive member 136.
• the blade cartridge 130 e.g., the blade frame 132, the biasing assembly 134, and/or the drive member 136) or the neck 110 (e.g., the ledges 118 or other suitable structure of the neck 110 that contacts the head 104) are fabricated from a thermally conductive material (e.g., a metallic material such as aluminum) to facilitate heat transfer from the blade set 128 in the manner set forth in more detail below.
• a thermally conductive material e.g., a metallic material such as aluminum
• blade is not limited to a hair cutting member but, rather, broadly refers to a member configured for removing hair in any suitable manner such as, for example, a hair cutting member of an oscillating shaver, a hair cutting member of a rotary shaver, a toothed hair cutting member of a trimmer, a hair plucking member of an epilator, etc.
• the illustrated blade set 128 includes a stationary blade 138 and a movable (or reciprocating) blade 140.
• the illustrated blade frame 132 includes a drive aperture 142, a spring slot 144, a pair of opposed spindle slots 146, a pair of fastener slots 148, and a pin slot 150.
• the stationary blade 138 is attached to the blade frame 132 via a pair of fasteners (e.g., screws 152) inserted into the fastener slots 148 of the blade frame 132.
• the blade frame 132 comprises a pair of side rails 154 such that a space 156 is defined between each of the side rails 154 and the stationary blade 138 when the stationary blade 138 is attached to the blade frame 132, and each side rail 154 has a downwardly extending tab 158.
• the head 104 may have the stationary blade 138 and the blade frame 132 configured in any suitable manner that facilitates enabling the head 104 to function as described herein.
• the movable blade 140 is disposed generally longitudinally between the stationary blade 138 and the blade frame 132, and the movable blade 140 is seated on the drive member 136.
• the drive member 136 is disposed generally longitudinally between the movable blade 140 and the biasing assembly 134, and the drive member 136 includes at least one post 160 which engages the movable blade 140, as well as a follower 162 which engages the drive mechanism 126 of the handle 102 via the drive aperture 142 when the head 104 is attached to the handle 102, as set forth in more detail below .
• the biasing assembly 134 includes a coil spring 164 having a locator tab 166 and a pair of arms 168, on which is seated a blade support 170.
• the locator tab 166 and the arms 168 are seated within the spring slot 144 of the blade frame 132 to locate the coil spring 164 on the blade frame 132, and a locator pin 172 is inserted through the coil spring 164 and into the pin slot 150 of the blade frame 132 to secure the coil spring 164 to the blade frame 132.
• the blade support 170 is seated on the arms 168 of the coil spring 164 and includes a pair of fingers 174 and a pair of spindles 176.
• Each spindle 176 is inserted into one of the spindle slots 146 of the blade frame 132 such that the blade support 170 is pivotably secured to the blade frame 132, and the fingers 174 are inserted into a groove 178 of the movable blade 140 to facilitate guiding oscillation of the movable blade 140 during operation of the appliance 100, as set forth below.
• the movable blade 140, the drive member 136, and the biasing assembly 134 are all secured generally longitudinally between the stationary blade 138 and the blade frame 132.
• the movable blade 140, the drive member 136, and the biasing assembly 134 may have any suitable components arranged in any suitable manner that facilitates enabling the head 104 to function as described herein.
• the head 104 is inserted into the pocket 116 of the handle 102 such that each side rail 154 of the blade frame 132 slides within one of the channels 120 of the neck 110 and such that, in some embodiments, the ledges 118 contact the underside of the stationary blade 138.
• the tabs 158 of the side rails 154 slide over the detents 122 of the neck 110, thereby depressing the detents 122 against their spring bias.
• the detents 122 are permitted to spring back to being fully protruded from the base 114 in order to facilitate retaining the head 104 on the handle 102.
• the follower 162 of the head 104 receives the drive mechanism 126 of the handle 102 so as to operably connect the movable blade 140 to the motor of the handle 102. In this manner, when the motor is powered, the drive mechanism 126 oscillates the movable blade 140 such that the movable blade 140 shearingly slides against the stationary blade 138.
• the head 104 may be detached from the handle 102 by sliding the head 104 out of the pocket 116 such that the tabs 158 of the blade frame 132 again depress the detents 122 of the neck 110 to permit complete removal of the head 104 from the handle 102.
• One notable design parameter of the appliance 100 is the biasing force imparted on the movable blade 140 by the biasing assembly 134, in that the magnitude of the biasing force directly impacts the cutting effectiveness of the blades 138, 140. More specifically, an increase in the biasing force imparted on the movable blade 140 yields an increase in the overall cutting effectiveness of the head 104.
• another notable design parameter of the appliance 100 is the friction generated by the movable blade 140 sliding against the stationary blade 138. Generally speaking, as the biasing force imparted on the movable blade 140 increases, the friction (and heat) generated between the blades 138, 140 increases as well. In that regard,
• illustrated appliance 100 is provided with a cooling system (indicated generally by reference numeral 180) carried by the handle 102, and the cooling system 180 is configured for removing heat from the head 104 of the appliance, namely the blades 138, 140.
• the cooling system 180 comprises a heat transfer pad 182, a thermoelectric cooling device 184, and a heat sink 186.
• the cooling system 180 may also include a fan, which may be suitably powered either across an arrangement of gear(s) and shaft (s) by the motor which drives the movable blade 140 or by a separate motor housed within the handle 102.
• thermoelectric cooling device 184 functions as a solid-state heat pump, utilizing the Peltier effect to transfer heat.
• the cooling device 184 may have any suitable thermoelectric heat transfer properties that enable the cooling system 180 to function as described herein.
• the thermoelectric cooling device 184 comprises at least two semi-conductors, namely an N-type semi-conductor 188 and a P-type semi-conductor 190.
• the semi-conductors 188, 190 are disposed thermally in parallel, and electrically in series, with one another. More
• each semi-conductor 188, 190 is electrically connected to its own respective first conductor plate 192, and both semi-conductors 188, 190 are electrically connected to a common second conductor plate 194.
• the conductor plates 192, 194 (and, therefore, the semi-conductors 188, 190) are disposed between a pair of electrical insulator plates (e.g., ceramic plates) , namely a first insulator plate 196 adjacent the first conductor plates 192, and a second insulator plate 198 adjacent the second conductor plate 194.
• the appliance 100 is configured for supplying power (e.g., direct current) to the first conductor plate 192 connected to the N-type semi-conductor 188.
• the current then flows through the N- type semi-conductor 188, and through the P-Type semiconductor 190 via the second conductor plate 194.
• the current then flows from the P-type semi-conductor 190 through the first conductor plate 192 connected to the P-type semiconductor 190.
• the cooling device 184 is situated in conductive heat transfer with (and between) the heat transfer pad 182 and the heat sink 186 such that the heat transfer pad 182 is adjacent the second insulator plate 198 and such that the heat sink 186 is adjacent the first insulator plate 196.
• the heat transfer pad 182 is situated in conductive heat transfer with the blade cartridge 130 (e.g., the blade frame 132), and the heat sink 186 is exposed to air contained within the handle 102.
• the heat transfer pad 182 may also be situated in conductive heat transfer with the blade cartridge 130 by virtue of the ledges 118 of the neck 110 being in contact with the stationary blade 138.
• thermal paths from the blades 138, 140 to the cooling system 180 are available such as, for example, through the blade cartridge 130 (e.g., the blade frame 132), or directly from the stationary blade 138 to the neck (e.g., via the ledges 118) .
• Other suitable thermal paths are contemplated as well.
• the heat sink 186 transfers the heat to the air within the handle 102 by convection.
• the cooling system 180 may also include a fan for blowing air over the heat sink 186 to expedite the convection cooling of the heat sink 186 and cause the heat to be exhausted into the ambient air external to the handle 102 via a suitable vent provided on the handle 102.
• the cooling system 180 may utilize a passive exhaust system for exhausting heat from the handle 102, or a second, larger heat sink (e.g., a block of metal, a volume of liquid, etc.) contained within the handle 102 for absorbing the heat within the handle 102 rather than exhausting the heat from the handle 102.
• a vent may be provided on the handle 102 without a fan for
• the magnitude of the biasing force imparted on the movable blade 140 may be increased given that the additional heat generated by the blades 138, 140 is removed by the cooling system 180.
• the result is increased cutting effectiveness, along with an improved user experience and increased longevity of the blades 138, 140.
• these benefits can be realized on various different types of grooming appliances.
• Fig. 10 schematically illustrates mechanical, electrical, and thermal pathways which facilitate operation of an appliance having the cooling system 180.
• the appliance has a network of electrical energy pathways (indicated generally by the reference numeral 200) such as, for example, wires that transmit electrical energy from a source of electrical energy (e.g., the battery) to various components of the appliance which rely on electrical energy for operation (e.g., the motor and the cooling system) .
• the appliance also has a network of mechanical energy pathways (indicated generally by reference numeral 300) such as, for example, drive gears and/or shafts for transmitting mechanical energy from a source of mechanical energy (e.g., the motor) to various components of the appliance which rely on mechanical energy for operation (e.g., a fan-based exhaust mechanism and the movable blade of the blade set) .
• the appliance further has a network of thermal energy pathways (indicated generally by the reference numeral 400) such as, for example, dedicated tracks of metal or carbon material (or heat pipes) for transmitting thermal energy from a source of thermal energy (e.g., the blade set) to the cooling system.
• a suitable cooling fluid liquid or gas
• a suitable cooling fluid could also be pumped from a reservoir of the appliance through thermal pathways that are in the form of fluid conduits arranged in a cooling circuit to facilitate cooling the blade set in the manner described herein.
• a reciprocating-type shaver having a blade cartridge with a foil blade
• a rotary-type shaver with a blade cartridge having a cup-shaped, slotted blade
• an epilator with a blade cartridge (e.g., a rotating barrel) having blades for plucking hairs.
• Fig. 11 is provided as a schematic illustration of embodiments of the cooling system 180 and pathways 200, 300, 400 used with a hair-removal appliance 500 which may suitably be a trimmer, a reciprocating-type shaver, a rotary-type shaver, or an epilator, to name a few.
• a hair-removal appliance 500 which may suitably be a trimmer, a reciprocating-type shaver, a rotary-type shaver, or an epilator, to name a few.
• the appliance 500 has a handle 502 and a head 503 detachably coupled to the handle 502.
• the head 503 may not be configured for detachment in other embodiments of the appliance 500.
• the illustrated head 503 has a blade set 504 with a suitable arrangement of movable and/or stationary blades to facilitate hair removal such as, for example: a rotary blade set having a stationary outer blade and a rotatable inner blade which is biased against and cooperates with the stationary outer blade to cut hair; an oscillating blade set having a stationary outer blade and a translatable inner blade which is biased against and
• an epilator blade set having a barrel-like arrangement of blades (e.g., metal or plastic disc-like structures) that cooperate with one another to pluck hair.
• the blade set 504 may, in some embodiments, be carried on a suitable blade cartridge, and the blade set 504 may, in other embodiments, be removable from the head 503 (e.g., by removing the suitable blade cartridge from the head 503, for example) . Additionally, the head 503 may have a suitable tray and/or other housing structure which defines a hair pocket therein for collecting hair removed by the blade set 504, and the head 503 may also have a suitable drive structure (e.g., drive gears and/or shafts) for driving the movable blade (s) of the blade set 504.
• a suitable drive structure e.g., drive gears and/or shafts
• the illustrated handle 502 and head 503 each have a component of a suitable coupling structure 506 for detachable (or non-detachable) coupling of the head 503 to the handle 502.
• the handle 502 houses a motor 508 and, in one embodiment, a battery 510 for providing power to the motor 508 across first electrical energy pathway (s) 202, such that the motor 508 is operable to supply mechanical energy to the blade set 504 (e.g., the movable blade (s) of the blade set 504) across mechanical energy pathway (s) 302.
• the cooling system 180 may be housed within the handle 502 such that the cooling system 180 is powered by the battery 510 across second electrical energy pathway (s) 204, to render the cooling system 180 operable to remove heat from the blade set 504 (e.g., at least one movable and/or stationary blade of the blade set 504) across first thermal pathway(s) 402 via at least one thermally conductive terminal 404 situated at the interface of the head 503 and the handle 502.
• the cooling system 180 may be operable to remove heat from the drive system of the appliance 500 (e.g., from the motor 508) using another thermal pathway (s) 412 in addition to, or in lieu of, removing heat from the blade set 504 using the first thermal pathway (s) 402.
• another implementation of the cooling system 180 on the appliance 500 is to locate the cooling system 180, or at least one component 182, 184, 186 thereof, on the head 503 (as indicated by reference numeral 180a) such that the cooling system 180, or at least one of its components, is instead powered by the battery 510 across third electrical energy pathway(s) 206 across at least one electrically conductive terminal 210 situated at the
• the cooling device 184 may be thermally coupled to the blade (s) across any suitable thermal pathway of the head 503 (e.g., the cooling system 180, or at least the components 182, 184, may be coupled directly to an interior or exterior surface of one or more of the blades of the blade set 504) .
• any suitable thermal pathways may be provided in the head 503 to facilitate cooling the blade set 504 as set forth herein. It should be noted that, for the trimmer embodiments of Figs.
• the cooling system 180 may suitably be located at least in part on the head (e.g., to be detachable from the handle along with the head) in the manner of the appliance 500.
• the cooling system 180 (or at least one component thereof) may be located outside of the appliance 500 (as indicated by reference numeral 180b) such that the cooling system 180, or at last one of its components, is suitably powered by an external power source and is selectively connectable to the handle 502 for removing heat from the blade set 504 (e.g., at least one movable and/or stationary blade of the blade set 504) in the manner set forth herein and across third thermal pathway(s) 406 (e.g., a thermal pathway 406 in part provided by a cord 410 detachable from the handle 502) via at least one thermally conductive terminal 408 situated at the interface of the head 503 and the handle 502.
• third thermal pathway(s) 406 e.g., a thermal pathway 406 in part provided by a cord 410 detachable from the

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• 2015
  • 2015-06-24 WO PCT/US2015/037491 patent/WO2015200520A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2015-06-24 US US14/749,367 patent/US9873205B2/en active Active
  • 2015-06-24 EP EP15811629.3A patent/EP3160693A1/de not_active Withdrawn
• 2017
  • 2017-12-18 US US15/845,769 patent/US20180361602A1/en not_active Abandoned

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